"But now Christ is risen from the
dead and has become the firsfruits of those who have fallen asleep"
(I Cor. 15:20).

Resurrection is the
heart and soul of the Christian faith. For without the
resurrection of Christ, we would have no hope of salvation (I Cor.
15:17). Paul said, "For we know that if our house of this tent upon the earth should be loosed
from us, we have a building out of God, a house not made by hands, eternal
in the heavens" (II Cor. 5:1). Paul uses
skin or tent to
refer to our earthly, physical body in
this passage. There are some that attempt to spiritualize the word resurrection. The word resurrection in the Greek text clearly
defines a bodily
resurrection. The Greek word for
resurrection is anastasis
which literally means a standing up again.
Spirits don't stand up or again stand up. Souls don't stand up or again
stand up. However, bodies certainly do stand up and can stand up
again. Even though, our new heavenly bodies or spiritual bodies are not made
by man or substance of this world, God considers our body
risingor
standing up again – or a bodilyresurrection.
Resurrection in scripture always pertains to a bodily
resurrection (I Cor. 15:35-44). Lazarus was bodily
raised by Jesus (John 11:43,44). Christ was bodily raised
and seen by many (I Cor. 15:3-6).

Paul clearly tells us that our temporal body is corruptible,
but it is raised again as an incorruptible
body (I Cor. 15:22). Paul also tells us that it is sown as a natural body but is raised as a spiritual body (I Cor. 15:44). There may be
dishonor and weakness in these old bodies of flesh out of this earth. However,
our heavenly body will be raised incorruptible and exchanged into glory
and power (I Cor. 15:42,43). The eternal body
comes from God, and is made from eternal and heavenly counterparts (II Cor. 5:1;
I Cor. 15:42-44). Paul tells us we desire to be clothed with our eternal body
(II Cor. 5:2). Mortality is swallowed-up or exchanged by life (II Cor. 5:4). One
split second following death, we will receive our glorified body. For "to be
absent from the body," is "to be present with the Lord" (II Cor. 5:8). The
Word of God does not teach soul sleep for man, but an
immediate exchange. "That mortality may
be swallowed up by life" (II Cor. 5:4),speaks of
immediate exchange.

There are three (3) major exchanges that take place with the
believer. The first is the Spirit birithing exchange done immediately with the Spirit being complete in
Christ in all things (I Cor. 12:13; Col. 2:10). The second is the soul/mind
renewal which takes place continually
throughout this earthly life. We need to know Christ, and the power of Hisresurrectionlife inus (Phil. 3:10). The third and final exchange
takes place a split second after death or the rapture, when we receive as Christ
did, our immediate
resurrectionin our glorified body!V